Lest we forget that bicycles come in all shapes and sizes, I was interested to see two recent, radically different takes on the diamond frame's lesser-known cousin: the recumbent.
First up, congratulations to Rob Cotter of Organic Transit for surpassing his $100K Kickstarter goal with some three weeks left in their campaign for the ELF, a "solar/pedal hybrid vehicle" for urban settings and medium-distance commutes. "This three-wheeled electric assist velomobile fills the niche between a bicycle and a car and offers advantages over both."
Where the Faraday Porteur e-bike was deliberately designed to look like a normal bicycle, the ELF is a different beast. The form is defined by a pod-like fairing over a chassis in which the wheels are in "tadpole configuration," but the major innovation lies in its solar-powered, 750W neodymium magnetic motor, which gets a whopping 1800 MPGe, or "1800 miles for the energy equivalent of one gallon of gas."
At $4,000, the ELF is just $200 more than the Faraday, though I'd argue that they have different target audiences—or rather, consumers with different taste within a broad category of commuters and early adopters. Both are examples of successfully crowdfunded, street-legal electirc-assist vehicles, a category that is among most promising candidates for a sustainable solution to the nation's urban transit woes, namely the first-and-last-mile problem.
About a year ago, Robert and Jocelyn Rahm, a self-described "furniture reclaimer" and "painter, seeker, finder," respectively, decided to corral their creative energies into a physical space. The Oregon-based couple located a 7,000-square-foot industrial building in North Portland, and together with fellow collaborator Currie Person—a design retailer whose interesting background includes location scouting for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, serving as a stage manager on The Producers and being a P.A. on the seminal Office Space—they christened the space Beam & Anchor (presumably after filing cover sheets on all of their TPS reports).
A year on, Beam & Anchor is a combination workshop and retail space, populated with "custom-made furniture, art, ceramics, jewelry, home goods, and beautifully crafted items for travel, work, and living" downstairs; upstairs, the tools, machinery and people who make these things.
The 100 year old farm table in our shop kitchen has become a gathering place for collaboration, bread breaking and story telling. We find as many excuses as we can to welcome the community into our space with the intention of fostering the exchange of ideas, the appreciation of craft and good, old-fashioned fun.
I realize this video might gross many of you out, but I am fascinated by people who view waste as a raw material. As the owner of two dogs I'm constantly dealing with shedding, and the thought that their cast-off fur could actually be turned into something useful is alluring.
A Connecticut-based needleworker named Kendall Crolius, author of Knitting With Dog Hair, shows how she can turn dog fur into hypoallergenic yarn:
I think the only reason I wouldn't do this myself is aesthetic: I don't like the fuzzy look of the end products. But if I could add another process and turn dog fur into, say, industrial felt, I'd be tempted to set up a rig in my apartment.
It's hard to imagine, but it really wasn't that long ago when we stared at computers all day without email, Twitter or even the internet in general to distract us. How on earth did anyone procrastinate effectively?
Solitaire, of course. Artist Evan Roth, one of the key thinkers behind the famous Eyewriter, has memorialized the famous .exe file found on every Windows 98 computer. The longtime salvation of the bored-at-work, Solitaire helped people while away the time while feeling somewhat intelligent and thoughtful.
Designed in a limited edition of 500 for the Cooper Hewitt (and now sold out), the cards physicalize the original pixelated designs of Susan Kare. The decks have completely sold out, reflecting a clear nostalgia for the original video game. And unlike, say, Angry Birds and other popular pastimes, Solitaire.exe was based on a real world version. Roth is repurposing a repurposing. As Co.Design's Mark Wilson notes:
There's certainly a satisfying Ouroboros effect, too, as the computer game simulates reality, which in turn just creates a game to simulate the computer. While I can't academically pin down what any of it means, I do know that I like the tingly paradox the deck activates in my brain.
But perhaps what's most compelling is that this game which has occupied the desktop software of millions now exists in the physical world. Few people today use Windows 98, and even fewer play video Solitaire—I, for one, forgot it existed. But by making the work physical, Roth has given the game another chance to live on a little longer.
The only bummer, I think, is that the cards are now sold out, and there will be no further editions. Time for a Minesweeper version?
Attributes: Doesn't smoke but owns a smoking jacket; uses the word "tablescape"; always turns off the overhead lights.
Description: Our Homebound Hobbit is most comfortable nestled in her vintage Saarinen Womb. Curating a selection of tabletop objects that are both beautiful and functional is her heart's delight. In her home—or should we say Hobbit-hole—everything has a proper place and a perfect arrangement, whether it's lighting, toys or containers.
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For our eighth annual Ultimate Gift Guide, Core77's crack editors have identified a taxonomy of seven known 'Designer Phenotypes' who might be on your shopping list. From Designer Dandy to Studio Snob, Homebound Hobbit to Workshop Workhorse, we have something for the discerning gift giver and recipient alike.
In addition to our beloved online Gift Guide, we're also pleased to announce that we've partnered with Blu Dot in New York City and our sister store Hand-Eye Supply in Portland, OR, to open bicoastal Holiday Pop-Up Shops for your shopping convenience. Stop by before December 24th to check out the product in person and pick up a poster featuring all seven designer phenotypes, illustrated by Core-toonist Tony Ruth, a.k.a. lunchbreath (while supplies last).
I'm sure I'm not the only person who hides the Brita when company comes over and feels terribly guilty tossing those carbon-filled plastic filters every couple of months. In fact, it's always been a bit of a mystery to me why there wasn't a beautiful, more sustainable and affordable alternative on the market.
I clearly wasn't the only one looking for a design solution for a consumer product I interact with on a day-to-day basis: Introducing Soma, a glass carafe and 100% compostable water filter. The filter, designed by David Beeman, is made from all-natural Malaysian coconut shells, vegan silk and food-based PLA plastic. Beeman, with over 30 years of experience creating water formulas for Starbucks, Peet's and other global brands, talks a bit about the design process in the video below:
The glass decanter has a beveled edge which results in drip-free pouring. The product is manufactured in the United States and the subscription-service style of renewing the filter is as good as it gets. The founding team behind Soma comes with their own set of good as it gets credentials: Mike Del Ponte (founder/CEO of Sparkseed, an award-winning social innovation accelerator), Rohan Oza (brand genius behind vitaminwater, smartwater, vitacoco and popchips), Ido Leffler (co-founder of Yes To Carrots, the 2nd largest natural beauty brand in America), and Zach Allia (his apps hit #1 on Facebook, Apple store, and Chrome store). Advisors include Tim Ferriss, and founders and executives from Method, Incase, Warby Parker, Birchbox, TOMS and the UN Foundation.
And while they're in full launch mode for for their product, early adopters can get the Soma carafe + 6-Months worth of filters for $50 (each filter delivered to your door every two months). As of press time, they've blown past their initial $100,000 goal—we're waiting to hear what sort of reach goals they might have and what type of add-ons they might have for their early backers. Get in on the ground and support Soma!
We didn't cover Tim Cook's announcement that Apple would invest $100 million in U.S. manufacturing when the news broke a couple weeks ago, but the highly informed folks over at our discussion boards have been chiming in about the decision, both in terms of the tech company's strategy and as a symptom of a broader shift in 'insourcing.' Indeed, the cover of the most recent issue of The Atlantic reads: "Comeback: Why the Future of Industry Is in America," and Charles Fishman's excellent essay is one of many articles cited in the discussion thread:
For years, too many American companies have treated the actual manufacturing of their products as incidental—a generic, interchangeable, relatively low-value part of their business. If you spec'd the item closely enough—if you created a good design, and your drawings had precision; if you hired a cheap factory and inspected for quality—who cared what language the factory workers spoke?
This sounded good in theory. In practice, it was like writing a cookbook without ever cooking.
Regarding the specific case of the C-Suite in Cupertino, Timf notes that the Chinese government is looking to shift "from externally focused [manufacturing] to internally focused," and Ray Jepson identifies additional factors,
1. People don't realize how little labor is involved in electronics... It's basically capital investment... you basically need 1-2 people to feed a bunch of machines with components. Everything else is automated. Maybe a little more QC at the end.
2. Mexico manufacturers a lot of computers, TVs, cell phones. I'm sure it is mostly assembly, but still. From my experience, most of those facilities are pretty light on manual labor too.
3. Tim Cook's expertise is logistics. I'm sure that this will save Apple money. There will be significant tax advantages in terms of avoiding tariffs and getting tax credits. I don't see anything altruistic or patriotic. It's a smart business move.
I was also interested to see that Cuppow's infographics came up in the thread, among other statistics. Read all of the insights and share your thoughts here.
The DEI Global Design Center is looking for an amazing industrial designer. The right candidate will be passionate about design, able to work on a variety of brands and products simultaneously, and able to think conceptually while have a mind for the product development process. The designer will collaborate directly with individual brand representatives in product line management, engineering, and marketing as well as directly with factory vendors. Above average concept sketching, presentation, verbal and written communications, rendering and CAD development skills are a must.
The worst thing I ever saw on YouTube was a guy accidentally taking his thumb off with a tablesaw. I used to drive an ambulance and I saw some pretty horrific things, but it is that video that still sometimes gives me trouble sleeping.
Now I've finally come across some videos that make up for the aforementioned one. Here's the background: Richard Van As, a woodworker from South Africa, lost his fingers in a woodworking accident.
Instead of giving up hope and resigning himself to never having fingers again, he went in search of someone that might be willing to help him replace them. After finding himself faced with having to come up with $10,000 per finger for commercially available prosthetics—he decided to search for someone that could help make a set of his own.
He found a Washington-State-based propmaker named Ivan Owen, who created a mechanical device Van As could use to manipulate fine items. Here's a video of Richard testing the device:
The change in perception of goods being 'made in China' to 'designed in China' is very important to Chinese industry. Whereas the former is indelibly associated with high volume, low quality production, the latter signals a long-overdue transition from decades spent as a producer of throwaway objects to the creator and manufacturer of world-class products.
At least, it should do. When it comes to China, instead of defining 'design' as a broad discipline, encompassing mass-produced products to hand crafted objects (and everything in-between), the global design press often seems to be focusing on arts and craft, to the exclusion of almost anything else. Any mention of the nascent design scene in China on design blogs or in magazines invariably focus on 3D designer/makers and 3D artifacts that are products only in the loosest sense of the word: that they are physical things that have been man-made. That this is not the be-all and end-all of what is being designed in China seems to be going largely unnoticed.
I am conscious that as an industrial designer I am tempted, by default, to define design as being limited to products like consumer electronics or vehicles. There is no such limitation, of course, but it is true that if you were to stop someone in the street and ask them what 'design in Italy' means, they would undoubtedly say: Ferraris, suits, handbags, stylish homewares, yachts... all consumer products.
Notes from the Field: Technology in Rural Uganda
Auto Design History: Mercedes' 300SL Gullwing
Tokyo Designers Week / DesignTide Tokyo 2012
Beijing Design Week 2012
Eero Saarinen: A Reputation for Innovation
Beam Project: Call for Proposals
Stripes: Design Between the Lines, Edited by Linda O'Keeffe
Hidden Forms by Franco Clivio, Hans Hansen and Pierre Mendell
Design Process Kills Creativity / Design Process Creates Creativity
"If I Knew Then What I Know Now..."
Industrial Design and Crime
If you are a leader, make sure you give props
Core77 Design Awards 
SHIFTBoston 2012 Glow Competition 
Biomimicry 3.8: What Would You Ask Nature
Changing the Face of Motocross
20 Years of Kikkerland
Discovering Chinese Design
Image via 
L: 
TOKYO DESIGN WEEK 2012
BEIJING DESIGN WEEK 2012
VIENNA DESIGN WEEK 2012
LONDON DESIGN FESTIVAL 2012
"Why Shrink-wrap a Cucumber? The Complete Guide to Environmental Packaging"
"Stripes: Design Between The Lines"
Hidden Forms by Franco Clivio, Hans Hansen and Pierre Mendell
Taschen's "Design of the 20th Century"
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All Chips On the Table: The Bicycle Art & Design of Garrett Chow
The Future of 3D Printing: Mere Misnomer or Something More?
The Road to Recovery
Notes from the Field: Design Observations in Uganda
A Raw Materials Nightmare: The Blue Pine Disaster
